Radiator enclosure



July 19, 1949 v T. v. sAwYER v 2,476,432

RADIATOR ENCLOSURE Filed April 22,'1946 ATTORNEY Patented July 19, 1949 '110m V.. Sawyer, Chicago, III.,1 assignor of one-half Ito DonaldM.. Crooks, (lliicago,y Ill.v

Application April 22, 194'6, Serial No. 663,853

I This invention relates to,V improvements in radiator enclosures and is more.- particularly concerned withv an enclosure of. a type having heat reecting top, back, and end walls and a screened front wall through which air may lcirculate for passage around a. radiator enclosed therein.

Radiator enclosures.. usually' providedifprimarily to conceal unsightly radiators, orten. lack means to insure. the Vheat radiation from the encased radiator, and further, are devoid of means to prevent objectionable overheating of the top of the enclosure. It is, therefore, an obect of the invention tot provide a. radiator enclosure with means to prevent heating of the enclosure top so as to thereby enable use of such top as a stand for plants, flowers, or other articles of the kind that might be damaged when subjected to heat.

Another object of the invention is to provide a radiator enclosure structure of a kind that will prevent the movement of air into or out of the enclosure at the back and ends thereof and thereby avoid the setting up of current eddies around the back and ends. n

Another object is to provide a radiator enclosure with walls completely encasing exposed portions of a radiator to prevent burning or other injury from Contact therewith.

Another object of the invention is to provide a radiator enclosure that is not expensive to manufacture and which embodies novel means to insure maximum heat radiation without the overheating of any portion thereof.

Other and further objects of the present in.. vention will be apparent from the following descriptions and claim and are illustrated in the accompanying drawing which, by way of illustration, shows a preferred embodiment and the principle thereof. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principle may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and a purview of the appended claim.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a radiator enclosure embodying features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view, partly broken away, taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, the radiator enclosure embodying the features of the present invention consists of a substantially rectangular 1 claim. (o1. 237-79.).

cabinet including a frame structure having-ver.- ticallyarranged comer posts It and horizontal stringers- |`2 extending between the corner posts, Wood panels' forming; a back: wall I3t and end walls It are secured; to the Corner: @Staand stringere in any'con-.ventionalmannerv as, for example, by means: or vrood4 screws YHi so as to completely enclose: back and ends ot, the. enc-losure. The front wall I5' is provided withfa, large centra-openingover vvll'iehr a screen. I 5 orother open mesh material or grill work. is, arranged. The screen f may" be secu-redit@ the; margins of the frontman surrounding the 'opening as br means of molding strips l1 and an intermediate molding strip I8 may be provided to secure the medial portion of the screen I6 to a center post I9. Although the radiator enclosure illustrated has but one center post I9 to reenforce the substantially open front of the enclosure, it should be understood that additional posts may be suitably arranged to bridge the front wall opening in such instances where the opening is of such size as to require additional reenfor-cement.

A top, generally indicated at 2l, overlies the upper open end of the wall structure described hereinabove and if desired, said top may be hingedly connected along its rear edge to the back wall I3 so as to be movable into open and closed positions. The top 2 I' includes a substantially rectangular closed frame construction 22 having an upper wall 23 overlying said frame and a lower wall 24 arranged on the bottom side of said frame so as to dei-lne, with the frame 22, a dead air space 25. A diaphragm 26 fashioned from a sheet of heat reflective material is arranged within dead air space 25 in a plane parallel to the plane of the walls 23 and 2i. The diaphragm 26 has its marginal edges firmly se,- cured to or within the frame 22 so as to divide the dead air space 25 into two sections each of which is completely sealed from the other and from atmosphere.

The inside surface of the upper wall 23 of the top 2| and both surfaces of the lower wall 24 of said top are suitably coated with a heat refleeting substance 21 which may be applied thereto as by painting or spraying it thereon While in a liquid state. The entire interior surface of the radiator enclosure wall structure similarly is coated with a layer of heat reflecting material 28 likewise applied as by painting or spraying. I

It should be quite evident that when the radiator enclosure is positioned over the radiator indicated in dotted lines at 29 in Fig. 3, room air may move freely into the enclosure through the screened front wall I6 and pass between and around the radiator 29 for discharge through the screened front wall I6. The heat radiating surfaces of the enclosure prevent the transmission of heat through the walls of the enclosure, consequently, the enclosure functions to a high degree of efficiency inasmuch as no heat is lost through said walls. The structure of the top 2|, Which includes ve layers of heat insulating material and two dead air spaces, prevents the transmission of heat through Yto the upper wall 23 thereof, consequently, plants, flowers, or other objects which might be damaged by heat, may be safely placed upon the top of the radiator enclosure top.

The construction of the radiator enclosure is such that it fits snugly to the oor and thereby eliminates convection of air into the base regions of the radiator and minimizes the circulation of dust and dirt particles which are a frequent source of annoyance.

It should be quite levident that the structure shown in the accompanying drawing may embody details of construction other than those illustrated so as to adapt the principles of the invention to enclosures of different shapes and sizes without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claim.

I claim: Y

In an upright radiator enclosure which includes front and rear walls rand end walls, said front wall being provided with grille Work, and all of the interior surface of the remaining walls being heat reilective. A removable top overlying the upper ends of all the walls and closing oli! the enclosure to prevent escape of any air therefrom except via the grille work, said top being formed of a wooden rectangular closed frame having upper and lower wooden walls secured thereto to form a dead air space therein, a horizontally arranged diaphragm, secured to the frame on all sides thereof and dividing said space thereby into'two independent dead air spaces, said diaphragm being formed of heat-reflective material, the bottom and top surfaces of the lower wall and the bottom surface of the upper wall all having coatings of heat reecting substance whereby to prevent escape of heat from the interior of their enclosure.

TOM V. SAWYER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS l Date 

